Cloud computing company Salesforce has launched a social advertising application that connects social ads with CRM and social listening. In what the company claims is a world first, Salesforce’s Social.com will allow brands and agencies to power social ad campaigns on Facebook and Twitter using real-time customer and social listening data in order to maximise return on advertising dollars.

Social.com is part of Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and in this move the company is doubling down on social advertising, aiming to cement its place in digital marketing campaigns. The main feature of this new self-service application is its ability to connect with and share data between other Salesforce products: Salesforce CRM and Radian6.

Australia is among the top five countries for targeting consumers with social ads. Social advertising spend is projected to double from $4.7 billion in 2012 to $11 billion in 2017, according to BIA Kelsey. Nielsen also predicts 64% of advertisers expect to increase their spend on social advertising in 2013.

“Social media has achieved a recognisable level of credibility in the marketing world and if brands don’t have it in their marketing mix, they are missing a huge touchpoint with potential customers,” says Jonathan Nelson, CEO, Omnicom Digital.

“Smart marketers are buying media in real-time and working with the latest tools to ensure they are delivering the right message, at the right time, to the right person, which is even more imperative in the connected, social world,” he says.